Functional electrical stimulation (FES) for children with spinal cord injuries

The present report was conducted with the aim of informing decisions regarding the effectiveness and recommended use of FES and FESC in pediatric populations with SCI, and is an update of an earlier CADTH report on FES in pediatric spinal cord injuries,7 published in March of 2011. [...] A summary of the screening results is provided in Appendix 1. Of the six selected reports, three9-11 were based on a single randomized trial that reported different outcomes in each of the three publications, and three12-14 were non-randomized studies. [...] Summary of study characteristics A summary of the characteristics of the six included reports is provided in Appendix 2. All six reports originated from the same pediatric tertiary care center in the United States. [...] Summary of critical appraisal The details of the critical appraisal conducted using the Downs and Black8 instrument is given in the table in Appendix 3. Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) for Children with Spinal Cord Injuries. [...] The extent to which the patient characteristics or treatment received was representative of the general pediatric SCI population was difficult to assess (external validity) in each of the six reports.